


The Prison of the Elder

by Illusinia



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, arthur centric, blind betrayal, fallout 3 references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 06:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19245259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illusinia/pseuds/Illusinia
Summary: Sometimes being the Elder is like being a prisoner of his own army.-----------------------------“What the hell were you thinking!” Haylan's angry voice cut through the briefing room like a blade. One directed straight at him.Arthur had been wondering when he'd be hearing from the scribe. After the order he'd just issued, it was inevitable she would appear to give him a piece of her mind.





	The Prison of the Elder

“What the hell were you thinking!” Haylan's angry voice cut through the briefing room like a blade. One directed straight at him.

Arthur had been wondering when he'd be hearing from the scribe. After the order he'd just issued, it was inevitable she would appear to give him a piece of her mind. At least he was somewhat alone. Not that anyone out in the halls couldn't hear them.

“I can't believe you just sent Nor- Er, Knight Atwell, to kill Danse! Er, Paladin Danse!” Arthur winced. The accusation in Haylan’s voice was so sharp, it could have been a weapon all its own. Too bad her ire couldn't be harnessed. “Do you realize how cruel that was? Do you realize how horrible it is that you've requested she kill her sponsor?”

“I'm well aware of the request I've made of Knight Atwell,” assured Arthur, keeping his back to Haylan. He knew the look that would be plastered on her face: anger mixed with pain and possibly tears. It would be difficult for him to remain stoic if he had to meet her gaze, and right now he needed to appear undefeated.

“Then you know how cruel that was,” growled Haylan. She suddenly appeared in front of him, her face the picture of angry grief he'd expected. “So why the hell did you do it?”

“Because I trust Knight Atwell to make the right decision,” stated Arthur, praying Haylan would understand the meaning behind his words. He wasn't hopeful though. When Haylan was enraged, subtle hints tended to escape her.

“So you expect her to kill a man just because he suddenly discovered he's a synth?” growled Haylan, her anger serving to only rise in response to his words. “Do you know the hell he's probably going through right now?”

“He's a machine, Haylan.” The words tasted bitter on his tongue and caught in his throat. He loathed the politics that forced him to speak that way, particularly when faced with Haylan’s pained and angry gaze.

It was only his reflexes that blocked the slap that followed his words. That was taking this argument too far for a public space. Anything else he could tolerate, but her physically attacking him publically was something he couldn't allow. He would be forced to retaliate. 

“Scribe Haylan, my office, now,” commanded Arthur, his voice taking on the deadly edge he used when he needed someone to do exactly what he was telling them to right that minute.

Immediately, Haylan sobered, though the anger never left her gaze. He could handle that though. As long as she did what he needed her to right then, without striking out at him again, he could handle anything else she threw at him. He just needed to keep her from forcing him to do something he didn’t want to.

Without checking to ensure she was following, he began marching towards the upper decks of the Pedwyn, where the personal quarters and main facilities were housed. It was also where he kept his office, melded with his personal quarters to save space as well as make his life easier. Staying late in his office was a lot less painful when his bed was only feet away. There had been more than one occasion where he’d nearly failed to make it back to his bed before exhaustion overtook him. If his bed hadn’t been there, he likely would have slept on the floor of his office. Then Danse would have likely torn into him for not taking better care of himself.

The thought made him wince. No matter his plans, one thing was certain: Danse would never be able to return to the Pedwyn. It hurt to accept that, but it was the truth. He had no doubt that Danse could survive without the Brotherhood, the man was a survivor. Er, the machine was a survivor? That was a thought that would never settle well with him.

Forcing away his internal debate until he could actually process it, Arthur practically threw open the door to his quarters and marched inside. He could hear Haylan’s softer steps behind him and nearly breathed a sigh of relief. He’d been concerned she might split and do something stupid. Then again, she may have already done so for all he knew. He hoped not. At least, he hoped she hadn’t done anything he couldn’t fix.

The sound of his door slamming shut made him cringe. He’d been half-hoping the walk would calm her, but apparently he wasn’t going to be so lucky. Not that it surprised him; taming Haylan’s tempter was like trying to tame a deathclaw. At least now they were behind closed doors. If she took another swing at him here, he didn’t have to worry about disciplining her.

“I thought we shouldn’t be alone with the door closed anymore,” mocked Haylan, her ire seemingly flamed further as she threw his words back at him. 

Mentally, he cursed ever saying that. He hadn’t meant ever again, but she could be a distraction to him and he damn well knew that. He knew how dangerous that was, too. He’d seen first hand what happened when people put those they cared about above all others. It was why he hadn’t stopped her from coming up to the Commonwealth. The fact he’d sent Danse with the party to keep her safe was irrelevant. 

“I didn’t mean ever again,” murmured Arthur with a sigh, turning to face the scribe. He expected the full brunt of her fury to be aimed directly at him like a flame thrower. He expected to want to melt under her anger.

The anger was there, that couldn’t be denied, but with the door now shut, her grief was far more obvious. Honestly, it was worse to face her grief than her wrath. The wrath he could fight against with calm reason; grief just made him want to hold her.

Without a second thought, he held his arms open for her. She fell into them almost immediately, burying her face against his neck as her tears began to fall. Pulling her close to his body, he let her cling to him in search of a peace he knew she wouldn’t find. Not until they knew if his plan had worked or not, at least.

“How could you send Nora after him like that?” murmured Haylan, her head rising from his neck so she could glare at him. “How could you ask her to kill him?”

 

“Because I know she won’t,” explained Arthur softly, lifting a hand to brush against her wet cheek. “Danse expressed his concerns about her friendliness towards ghouls, synths, and basically anything that didn’t start shooting as soon as it saw her. She even released a suspected synth from danger.”

“But I don’t understand, why send someone you know won’t be able to kill him?” asked Haylan, her voice catching a little. “That’s a huge burden to place on her.”

“Because I don’t want Danse dead anymore than you do,” murmured Arthur, dropping his voice so only Haylan could hear. “He helped train me, Haylan. He is a brother to me. He’s taken better care of me at times than I’ve taken of myself. I wouldn’t have even taken action against him if Quinlin hadn’t forced my hand.”

“What do you mean?” asked Haylan, her anger rising again. At least this time, it didn’t appear to be directed at him. He couldn’t let her strike out at Quinlin, but that would be a lot easier than keeping her from striking out at him.

“Quinlin alerted Kells,” explained Arthur quietly. He let his hand fall away from her cheek, curling around her waist instead. “I couldn’t avoid taking action after that, nor could I easily convince Quinlin to keep this matter quiet.”

“But- wait, you would have let Danse stay, even though he’s a synth?” exclaimed Haylan, her eyes widening as they met his. “Then why the hell are you doing all of this?”

Sighing, Arthur took a few steps back so he could lean against his desk, pulling Haylan with him. He wanted her close right then; this whole mess was upsetting him more than he dared let on. Having Haylan close was at least helping a little.

“I’m doing this for the Brotherhood,” stated Arthur softly. “To keep us from falling apart again.”

“Again?” questioned Haylan, her brow furrowing as her eyes dropped away from him. She didn’t push away, just leaned a little further back like she thought the distance would help her think. “But- I don’t understand.”

“It was before your time and we don’t discuss it often,” began Arthur, running a hand over his face while keeping the other around her waist. “It was during Elder Lyons’ time. He had a different interpretation of the Brotherhood's mission than the higher ups on the west coast. He wasn’t incorrect in his interpretation, either.”

Arthur’s eyes dropped away as he spoke. Speaking of Elder Lyons was never easy for him. He’d respected both Lyons, younger and older, deeply as a child and still did as an adult. “As he saw it, the Brotherhood’s mission to protect humanity from technology included dealing with threats that were the result of technology- things like ghouls and supermutants. At the time, the Capitol Wastes were filled with these monstrosities. In reaction, Elder Lyons had the Citadel built as a staging ground to both help us maintain a repository for dangerous technology and create a point we could launch attacks from. It was a solid plan, one that worked well for a long time. 

“Some of the other Brotherhood members grew restless with time, though. They thought we should be more focused on collecting tech and less focused on battling ghouls and supermutants. It didn’t seem to matter to them that the creatures we were fighting tended to take up residency in the very buildings we were targeting in our search for tech, they wanted the Lyons to reconsider their priorities. It became so bad, that the West Coast Elders eventually severed ties with the East Coast Brotherhood.” He shook his head a little at the memory. He’d been terrified when it had happened. The whole situation had left him stranded indefinitely in the Capitol Wastes.

“Where were you when this happened?” asked Haylan softly, a hand sliding softly through his hair. It helped draw him back from his memories of that fear.

“I was already here, on the East Coast,” explained Arthur quietly. “I was nine when the split took place. Some of the Brotherhood members left after that. They formed a group call the Outcasts, who reinterpreted the Brotherhood’s mission the way they thought it should be interpreted.

“It wasn’t too bad at first. We only lost about a fifth of our forces in the first split. The real problems began after Sarah- the second Elder Lyons- died. After that, the man who took charge was completely incompetent. So was the man after him. In that time, we lost more men to the Outcasts. By the time I became Elder, the Brotherhood was split close to fifty-fifty and neither group was doing well. I decided I would do whatever it took to unite the Brotherhood once more.” His voice dropped as the next words left him, shame coloring his tone. “I ended up giving up everything I believed in to bring the Brotherhood back together. Everything I’d once wanted for the world vanished. None of it was a priority, none of it could be.” Just the thought of what Sarah or Elder Lyons would say if they were there filled him with regret. He knew they would be disappointed in him if they saw what he’d allowed to happen.

“But, you’re the Elder,” objected Haylan, her fingers slipping up into his hair and down to cup his chin. Gently, she turned his face towards hers once more so she could meet his eyes. “You command the Brotherhood of Steel. They do what you tell them to. If you’re not happy, you can just make them do something else. Your vision for the Brotherhood should be more important than theirs.”

“Except it’s not,” murmured Arthur softly. “The Brotherhood is my family’s legacy. I can’t allow it to be destroyed just because I don’t agree that synths are a danger to the world. The Institute, yes. I believe they are dangerous. There is no one to stop them from going down the same path that led us here. But synths are a byproduct of the Institute, one that has just as much humanity as any of us. Danse proved that.”

“You don’t think he knew he was a synth then,” murmured Haylan softly, relieved.

Arthur shook his head gently. “No, I don’t. I think he was just as much in the dark as the rest of us.”

“But you can’t let him come back, either,” stated Haylan, realization crossing her features. “Quinlin and Kells…”

“Both former Outcasts,” confirmed Arthur softly. “They’ve taken it upon themselves to ensure I continue to uphold their beliefs, as well.”

“They’re blackmailing you?” ask Haylan, horrified. The fire in her eyes crackled to life once more.

Cupping her cheek, Arthur pulled her closer once more so their bodies touched from chest to toe. “I wouldn’t put it that way, but they make it difficult to allow some things to slide. Danse, for the time being, is one of those things.”

“I never got the impression Quinlin liked Danse,” remarked Haylan softly, a scowl tilting up the corner of her mouth.

Arthur didn’t think much about it as he leaned over to kiss the spot, pressing his forehead against the side of hers gently. “No, he never has. He always believed Danse was too overbearing towards me.”

“Danse was taking care of you,” argued Haylan, tilting her head so she could brush a kiss against his ear. “He was doing us all a favor.”

“I’m not sure Quinlin saw it that way,” muttered Arthur, wrapping both arms around her again. “I think he saw Danse as someone who could distract me from our supposed goals.”

“Do you think Quinlin made all of this up to get Danse out?” suggested Haylan, her voice filling with terror.

“No, I don’t,” assured Arthur quickly. The last thing he wanted was for Haylan to be afraid. She might really do something that could get her kicked out of the Brotherhood then. “I saw the evidence myself. Unfortunately, it came out before the Institute fell. If it had been after, I could have argued the threat had passed. Danse couldn’t be an Institute spy if the Institute was gone.”

“But with it still there, he could be,” surmised Haylan with a resigned sigh. He felt more tears against his skin, his hair dampening where they fell. “We really aren’t going to get him back, are we?”

“No, we can’t,” confirmed Arthur gently, stroking Haylan’s hair and lifting his head away to meet her eyes once more. “We can help him be safe, though. You can directly help him and I- I can make sure he understands exactly the danger he’s in.”

“You can’t tell him your hands are tied, can you?” asked Haylan dejectedly. There was no hope left in her eyes, only resignation and acceptance.

“No, I can’t risk it,” confirmed Arthur sadly. One of his hands stroked through her hair, disrupting the strands from her usual tightly held bun. “You could, though.”

“Unless Kells or Quinlin catches me,” pointed out Haylan sadly. One of her hands slid up to his chest, coming to rest over his heart. “If I ever see him again in person, I’ll tell him. He should know there’s a good heart beating in your chest, even if you can’t use it.”

“He knows,” murmured Arthur, his forehead leaning against hers. “I’m going to have to confront him and Nora though. I don’t have a choice; they have to realize there’s going to be some restrictions on where Danse can go after this.”

 

“You can’t let it show you don’t hate Danse, either,” guessed Haylan, her eyes knowing. Tears began to well in them, her sadness directed towards him this time. No, it was for him. For the painful things he was going to have to say to a man he once considered his best friend.

“I can’t,” confirmed Arthur sadly, allowing a few tears to gather in the corners of his eyes. Anyone else, and he wouldn’t have dared let the pain show. Haylan knew his secrets though; he had nothing to fear from her. “I can’t, for now at least.”

She didn’t say anything more. Instead, she pressed a soft kiss against his lips, drawing him closer and holding onto him as the tears tumbled down his cheeks. She didn’t let him go until they’d stopped. Even then, she didn’t let him go until he needed to head to the vertibird. She told him where to go, about how long it would take Nora to get there. He had a very short window in which to arrive and do what he needed to. Fortunately, it was a trip he could take alone.

As he boarded the vertibird, he caught sight of Haylan as she headed for her own. For a moment, he thought she would climb inside and disappear back into the Commonwealth. Then he watched her fish a bag out from under a seat and head back towards the door into the Predwyn. She never turned to face him, but it didn’t matter. He knew she supported him. She would always support him. And as long as she did, he could truly do anything.

Climbing into the pilot’s seat, he radioed his intentions, then reached up and flipped the release switch.


End file.
